The sun was fierce.

Zhu Ji rode a horse on the official road, with a long convoy behind him.

Ox carts are laden with coal.

A while ago, because he helped Han Zhen purchase coal, he went to Shouguang County, but he was lucky to escape.

At this moment, Zhu Ji didn't understand what was happening, and as he approached the county seat, he finally noticed a hint of clues.

On the bank of the Xiaodong River next to the county seat, there is a hot scene.

It seems that the river embankment is to be dug up and the wasteland to irrigate.

When they came to the gate of the city, the officers who guarded the city also changed, and they were replaced with new faces.

And they all wore bamboo armor, wore long knives at their waists, and held spears.

Looking up, there was a shadow above the castle tower, and a patrol of soldiers could be faintly seen.

Seeing a caravan, Hu Zhong glanced at it vigilantly.

He recognized Zhu Ji, after all, Zhu Ji had made several trips to Xiaowang Village a while ago.

But Hu Zhong still reached out to stop him.

"Reason!"

Zhu Ji didn't put on a show, and after smiling, he ordered the servants to serve the reason.

Hu Zhong didn't know a few words, but it was issued by the county government, with a unique painting and seal on it.

You only have to look at these things to know if it's true or not.

Otherwise, there are so many counties and counties in the entire Northern Song Dynasty, is it possible that every soldier on duty at the city gate is illiterate?

As for the evidence of falsification...... Basically not.

First, the official seal was carved by specialized craftsmen, who had served the imperial court for generations, and ordinary people could not reach it at all.

Secondly, there was no way to be arrested, and he was arrested and imprisoned for a few years as a rogue, and if he was lucky enough to meet the official family's amnesty, he would be released soon.

But if you forge the road guide and the official seal, it is a big crime to kill the head.

The difficulty of counterfeiting, coupled with the severity of the penalties, means that very few people are willing to do so.

And powerful people don't need to fake at all, such as Zhu Ji, there is Changzhi County to take care of, isn't the road guide just open?

After checking the reason, Hu Zhong waved his hand and signaled that they could go in.

Riding into the county seat, Zhu Ji could clearly feel that there was something wrong with the atmosphere in the county.

With a nervous mood, I came all the way to the county office, and saw that the thin hall on the right side was very lively, and there were scribes and tax collectors coming and going from time to time, and the footsteps were hurried.

In the lobby, Chang Zhixian is sitting in the lobby and writing.

"Oh, it's Yuanchen back."

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Chang Zhixian glanced up, lowered his head and continued to write.

Zhu Ji was patient and waited until Changzhi County put down his pen before asking, "Big brother, something happened to the county?" ”

Chang Zhixian took a sip of the teacup and replied lightly: "The night before yesterday, the peasants rebelled and entered the county seat. ”

"Huh?"

Zhu Ji was taken aback.

Suddenly, he noticed that his brother-in-law had also changed a little.

The original sophisticated and smooth cheeks were a little high-spirited at the moment.

In a trance, he couldn't help but recall the heroic posture of his brother-in-law when he was a high school jinshi, pointing out the country and impassioning words.

Seeing him staring at him stunned, Chang Zhixian asked, "Why does Yuanchen look at me like this?" ”

Coming back to his senses, Zhu Ji couldn't help but smile and said, "It's just that I feel that the eldest brother is a little different." ”

"Yes?"

Changzhi County was stunned.

Zhu Ji quipped: "It's a bit like when I was in high school." ”

Hearing this, Chang Zhixian looked complicated.

I have to admit that he has had an extremely happy life in the past two days, and the ideas that he could only suppress in his heart can finally be realized.

Without constraints, the entire Linzi County is at his disposal for drastic transformation.

Construct water conservancy, rectify officials, and lightly punish the meager endowment...... Everything he once wanted to do, but didn't dare to do.

Zhu Ji seemed to have thought of something, and said in surprise: "By the way, the eldest brother should be a great achievement in quelling the rebellion and thieves." Coupled with the credit of the previous suppression of bandits, it is time to be promoted. ”

Promotion?

It's good to have the life to leave Linzi County alive.

Chang Zhixian smiled bitterly and told what happened last night.

After listening, Zhu Ji's face was shocked, and he lowered his voice and said, "Big brother, now that Han Er is in charge of the county seat, won't we lose our lives at any time?" ”

"And be relieved, then Han Er still needs to rely on us to help him cover up, and the refined salt business can't do without me."

Changzhi County saw it very thoroughly, if Han Zhen wanted to kill him, he would have been able to do it when he entered the county government office the night before.

Zhu Ji was still not at ease, and said in a worried tone: "Then Han Er is only afraid that the plan is very big, and if he raises the anti-flag at that time, it will definitely affect the eldest brother." ”

Chang Zhixian shook his head and explained: "This person is not stupid, he is well versed in accumulating grain and slowly becoming the king. I see that he has insufficient soldiers, insufficient ordnance, and scarce food and grass, so in the short term, he will never take the initiative to erect a counter-flag. ”

"By the time he rises to power, we have already taken the money and money to get promoted, and he rebelled against him, what does it have to do with me."

At that time, instead of blaming, the court may reuse him.

After all, when I Chang Yukun was here, Haiyan River Qing in Linzi County was ruled in Anping.

changed people, and the smoke was everywhere, and under the backdrop of the two, doesn't this make it even more obvious that he has the ability to govern the world and the means are clever.

……

……

With more than 300 young and strong prisoners of war being incorporated into the army, the number of soldiers expanded to nearly 700.

Many veterans were promoted to serve as team leaders and leaders.

On the ground of the barracks, Nie Dong was teaching the recruits to recognize the snare drum and distinguish the battle flag.

At present, there are few people, and they are all small-scale operations, so they don't need to be these for the time being, but not necessarily in the future.

There are several types of drums alone, with different flags, which play the role of commanding the army.

For example, it is often said that Mingjin withdrew his troops.

As soon as the golden drum sounded, it indicated that it was going to retreat.

But how to retreat, whether to retreat quickly or slowly, to lure the enemy or to rout, which army to withdraw first, which army is behind, it is necessary to cooperate with the Golden Drum Banner.

Otherwise, the sound of drums alone would not have been able to convey such a complex signal.

It may sound complicated, but it's actually okay, after a long time, the soldiers will naturally remember it.

In addition, the army is also equipped with special heralds.

On the other side, in Xiaowang Village, Han Zhen is leading more than 2,000 new villagers to start construction.

Some of them were built as dwellings, while others were built as assembly line salt ponds.

In response to the expansion of the industry, lime kilns and brick factories were also expanded.

The number of lime kilns has increased from three to twelve, and two brick factories have been added.

Today, work has become the main source of income for most of the villagers, and the fields are not so important.

Xiaowang Village has gradually begun to show a trend of changing from agriculture to industry.

There are no more children playing in the village.

All of them were rushed to school by their parents.

The sun sets in the west.

Every household in Xiaowang Village lit a cooking smoke.

"It's time to get off work!"

As the overseer shouted, Lu Jiu stopped his movements.

After rubbing his sore arm and handing the tools back to the overseer, he and his two co-workers walked down the hill with a smile and a smile.

He was originally a fugitive from the mountains, and he came to Xiaowang Village very early, and his family was given two acres of barren land and five buckets of rice grain.

I heard that the fugitives who have come now no longer divide the fields, and only give a bucket of rice grain.

Every time he thought of this, Lu Jiu felt lucky.

When he was on the mountain, the group of fugitives laughed at him for being dizzy, how could there be such a good thing.

Now, the runaways who laughed at themselves at the beginning have repented one by one.

When the lime kiln was initially recruited, he did not come, so that he missed it.

It wasn't until the second batch of recruits that they were finally selected.

Lu Jiu is very satisfied with his current life, his mother-in-law takes care of his two acres of land at home, although it is two acres of dry land, how can he have a harvest of one or two stones in a year.

He worked in a lime kiln, taking care of two meals a day, and three hundred clerks.

Next year, I only need to pay 10% of the field tax, and the days will get better and better in the future.

When I came to the lime kiln at the bottom of the mountain, I turned out my own dishes and chopsticks, and lined up to get the rice.

It's still wheat rice tonight, but with an extra tofu soup.

casually found an open space and sat down, and Lu Jiu devoured it.

A worker commented: "Today's camelina is good, it is very good. ”

"Indeed."

Lu Jiu nodded in agreement.

Two bowls of wheat rice and a bowl of tofu soup slapped his stomach with satisfaction.

His family is halfway up the mountain, but every time he gets off work, he goes to the river at the head of the village to take a bath.

When passing by the bazaar, Lu Jiu couldn't help but be in a trance.

Not long ago, it was just a wasteland, but in a short period of time, it has become the liveliest and most prosperous place in the whole village.

Xiaowang Village is changing too fast, changing every moment.

At this moment, the worker on the side scratched his head and wondered: "Damn, when did you open another shop?" ”

Hearing this, Lu Jiu realized that there seemed to be another shop in the market.

Yesterday it was still six, but today it has become seven.

The newly opened shop is not big, and there is a flag hanging at the door, and a huge wine word is written on the flag.

I sniffed my nose and could faintly smell the aroma of wine.

Another worker seemed to know the inside story, and said in a sour tone: "This wine shop is opened by Zhang He's family. ”

As soon as they heard that it was Zhang He, everyone suddenly understood.

Now who doesn't know, the entire Xiaowang Village is the richest of the soldiers, and all the families have begun to build houses with blue bricks and red tiles.

It is said that two days ago, another reward was given.

It's a pity that the village chief is no longer recruiting in the village, otherwise Lu Jiu would definitely go to the draft.

After washing the dirt off his body by the river, Lu Jiu returned home with tired steps.

"The head of the house is back."

At the door of the simple straw hut, the mother-in-law is cooking rice in a clay pot.

"I'll squint for a while, and remember to call me when it's dark."

After Lu Jiu gave an order, he walked into the grass shed.

The woman answered, "Yes." ”

He also had to go to the village school for an hour of night class in the evening.

The village chief said that as long as he could write and arithmetic, he would be able to apply for scribes and stewards.

The overseer of the lime kiln, because he could read and write, had an extra hundred clerks a month, and he didn't have to do any, but only supervised them to chisel stones and write and draw on paper every day.

……

……

After a busy day, Han Zhen returned to the house, passed through the weeping flower door, came to the hall and sat down, and had no time to drink herbal tea.

Han Zhangshi immediately greeted him and reported in a soft and glutinous tone: "Uncle, there is not much food in the granary. ”

Although the summer harvest had just been harvested some time ago, there are now thousands more people in Xiaowang Village, and the consumption is naturally not the same.

Han Zhen asked, "How long can you hold on?" ”

After thinking about it with his fingers, Han Zhang replied, "If you save some food, it can last for ten days." ”

"yes, I see."

Han Zhen nodded.

He has already entrusted Changzhi County to go to the south to purchase grain, but it will take half a month to transport it from the south, even if it is by water.

It seems that a batch of emergencies can only be transferred from the county granary first.

Wait until the purchased food arrives and then fill the gap.

As soon as I finished dealing with it, I saw the little worm running over in a hurry.

"Second Brother Han, the coal is running out, and after burning the bricks in this kiln, the brick kiln will have to stop."

Han Zhen frowned and said, "Zhu Ji hasn't sent the coal over yet?" ”

The worm shook his head.

Han Zhen instructed: "You ride a horse to the county seat and urge it." ”

"Good!"

The worm answered, turned and walked out the door.

(End of chapter)